La «comunità di responsabilità» nel diritto tedesco: un progetto dal futuro incerto

In the wake of a well-established European trend to explore the new horizons of ‘being together’, the German legal system is also reflecting on ‘shared life projects’ in which the union between the partners is no longer aimed at the realisation of a sentimental relationship or the mere satisfaction of a housing need, but rather at the participation and implementation of values of solidarity and mutual assistance. In this new scenario, the Verantwortungsgemeinschaft appears in the legal landscape of German family law, an institution by means of which two or more persons - up to a maximum of six - not necessarily linked by love relationships, assume responsibility for one another, with the aim of guaranteeing each other assistance and cooperation during the relationship. This contribution aims to provide a detailed overview of the characteristics of the new model, reflecting the regulatory gaps and critical application issues that have emerged in the German doctrinal debate.